British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has defended his party against accusations of Islamophobia following the suspension of Conservative MP Lee Anderson for making offensive remarks about London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Anderson, who was the deputy chairman of the party, said in a video posted on Facebook that Khan had given London “away to his mates, the Islamists”. He also claimed that Khan was “controlled by Islamists” and that he wanted to “destroy our country”.
Anderson’s comments sparked outrage from politicians, activists, and community leaders, who condemned them as Islamophobic and divisive. Khan said Anderson’s remarks “poured fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred” and called for an investigation into the Conservative Party’s handling of Islamophobia complaints.
Sunak, who became the first British Asian prime minister in 2023, said Anderson’s comments were “unacceptable” and “wrong”, so he had been suspended from the party. However, he denied that his party had any “Islamophobic tendencies” and said he was proud of the UK’s record as “the most successful multi-ethnic democracy in the world”.
He also rejected the criticism that he had been quick to condemn antisemitism but had overlooked Islamophobia in his party. He said racism or prejudice of any kind was “completely unacceptable” and “not British” and that he had a zero-tolerance approach to it.
Sunak’s response did not satisfy some of his critics, who argued that the Conservative Party had a systemic problem with Islamophobia and that Anderson’s suspension was not enough. They pointed out that Anderson was not the first Tory MP to face allegations of Islamophobia and that the party had failed to adopt a formal definition of Islamophobia, as recommended by a parliamentary report in 2019.
The Labour Party, which Keir Starmer leads, said Sunak had shown a lack of leadership on the issue and called for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. Labour also urged the government to adopt the definition of Islamophobia proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, which states that Islamophobia is “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”.
The controversy over Anderson’s comments comes at a time when the Conservative party is facing a decline in popularity, amid criticism over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, and the Brexit aftermath. Sunak, who replaced Boris Johnson as prime minister after Johnson resigned in 2023, has been trying to restore the party’s image and appeal to a diverse electorate.
However, his efforts may be undermined by the Islamophobia row, which could damage his party’s reputation and credibility among Muslim voters and other minority groups.
